Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

  1. #1
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    PARADISE (San Diego)
    Posts
    99,040

    River of storms headed for Northern California

    River of storms headed for Northern California

    By Matt Weiser and Tony Bizjak
    mweiser@sacbee.com
    By Matt Weiser and Tony Bizjak The Sacramento Bee
    Published: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 1A
    Last Modified: Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012 - 1:52 pm

    It's shaping up as California's equivalent of a hurricane: A series of warm, wet storms arriving today that will be unlike anything the state has seen in years.

    By Sunday, weather experts say Sacramento could see 4 to 8 inches of rain, and the mountains of the Northern Sierra Nevada and Shasta regions could be deluged with 12 to 18 inches of rainfall.

    If this comes to pass, Sacramento could receive more rain in a few days than it gets in an average January, typically the wettest month of the year.

    The culprit is a weather phenomenon called an "atmospheric river," which channels tropical moisture all the way across the Pacific Ocean like a fire hose. Sometimes called a "pineapple express," these storms are viewed by weather experts as California's equivalent of a hurricane.

    Forecasters have "high confidence" in the timing and intensity of the storms.

    There is less certainty about where the fire hose will focus its wrath. Forecasts on Tuesday targeted Mount Shasta and the Northern Sierra, but that could change, said Rob Hartman, the hydrologist in charge of the California-Nevada River Forecast Center, a branch of the National Weather Service.

    "It is kind of like when you turn your hose on in the front lawn without staking the end down. It kinda hops around a little bit," Hartman said. "It could come a little bit further south. But there is a lot of moisture out there, and it's coming our way."

    The first storm arrives today and lasts through Thursday. It is expected to be relatively mild.

    The second hits Friday and will be the real soaker, lasting through Sunday with drenching rain and strong winds. A third, even wetter storm, may follow later on Sunday.

    Sacramento could see sustained winds of 35 mph with gusts to 45 mph. The Sierra Nevada foothills could see gusts up to 55 mph.

    These are warm storms and snow levels will be high – 7,000 feet and up. That means many Sierra highway passes could stay free of snow. But it also means more terrain will be exposed to rainfall runoff.

    Atmospheric rivers form very differently from hurricanes, but the rainfall intensity can cause damage on the same scale.

    "There is potential for one of the longer-lived atmospheric river events that we've seen in the last 10 years or so," said Marty Ralph, an expert on the phenomenon at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Earth System Research Laboratory in Boulder, Colo.

    "These are the types of events that are responsible for the biggest flood damages on the West Coast," he said. "To me, that's the analogue to the hurricane problem."

    Forecasters say the second storm will plant its bull's-eye on Shasta, Tehama, Butte and Plumas counties, with lesser rainfall amounts farther south. This is worrisome, because these counties experienced large forest fires over the summer that now create a significant erosion and mudslide risk.

    Of particular concern is the Battle Creek watershed in Shasta and Tehama counties, where the Ponderosa fire burned more than 27,000 acres in August.

    Battle Creek is the focus of a $128 million salmon restoration project, still under way, funded by state and federal agencies. Heavy erosion in the watershed could damage habitat vital to the project's success.

    "We are very concerned about that," said Lt. Mark Lillibridge, coordinator of the Shasta County Office of Emergency Services. "We're going to get hammered, it looks like."

    Lillibridge said Shasta County will make sandbags available to residents. It also has swift-water rescue crews and a 300-member volunteer patrol on standby to assist in the storm.

    In Sacramento, one of the capital region's premier sporting events, the 30th annual California International Marathon, is expected to go ahead on Sunday despite the weather. Organizers say the race has never been canceled.

    More than 15,000 people are expected at the 26.2-mile race, which starts at 7 a.m. Sunday near the base of Folsom Dam. It follows Fair Oaks Boulevard and finishes in front of the state Capitol in downtown Sacramento.

    "Runners are hardy," race spokesman John Schumacher said. "They'll be ready."

    None of the Sacramento Valley's major rivers is expected to see flooding problems.

    The Sacramento River is predicted to spill into the Sutter Bypass on Saturday – a normal event in stormy weather. The Yolo Bypass downstream, between Sacramento and Davis, is not expected to flood.

    On the other hand, many local creeks may experience flooding, and residents are advised to be ready.

    Sacramento County officials urged people who live near creeks in flood-prone areas to have sandbags on hand in case creeks overflow their banks.

    "If you live near a creek that has flooded in the past, I would always have sandbags on hand. It doesn't take that many to protect a doorway," county water resources spokeswoman Diane Margetts said.

    Residents of unincorporated Sacramento County who experience neighborhood flooding can call the county at (916) 875-7246 for help.

    Neighborhood flooding is also likely to become a significant problem because the region's urban tree canopy is in the thick of leaf-fall season. This means streets and storm drains are at high risk of clogging.

    Sacramento city and county officials urged people to clean leaves and other debris from around storm drains in their neighborhoods, and to monitor those drains during the unfolding storms.

    "The biggest flooding problem this week is going to be plugged storm drains, especially with all the leaves," said Margetts. "People don't realize plugged storm drains are going to cause flooding. It can easily get into your garage or into your house."

    The city of Sacramento has assigned on-call crews to assist with downed trees, clogged drains and flooded streets. City residents can call 311 to have a crew dispatched to assist with street flooding.

    High winds and soaked ground raise the potential for downed trees and power outages. Residents should be ready with flashlights, extra batteries, food and water, a battery-powered radio and an alternate means of charging cellphones.
    They should also secure outdoor furniture and other objects to prevent them from becoming dangerous projectiles.


    'PINEAPPLE EXPRESS'ONLINE: • Check the forecast in your area www. wunderground.com/auto/ sacbee/CA/ Sacramento
    http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/28/5016260/river-of-storms-headed-for-california.html
    NO AMNESTY

    Don't reward the criminal actions of millions of illegal aliens by giving them citizenship.


    Sign in and post comments here.

    Please support our fight against illegal immigration by joining ALIPAC's email alerts here https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  2. #2
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    PARADISE (San Diego)
    Posts
    99,040
    San Diego
    Waves up to 12-feet high to hit local beaches

    Written by Gary Robbins
    6:09 p.m., Nov. 27, 2012
    Updated 7:16 a.m. , Nov. 28, 2012



    Waves rose to 6 feet last weekend in Ocean Beach. They'll be far bigger later this week as a North Pacific swell plays out its energy at local beaches. Gary Robbins

    A powerful storm out of the Gulf of Alaska will send waves up to 12-feet high crashing ashore in San Diego County this week and whip up the sort of rip currents that can literally whisk people away, says Surfline.com. The waves will be bigger than those that hit last weekend, making this the largest swell of the fall -- so far.

    "The surf will start to pick up late Wednesday and build on Thursday before peaking on Friday and Saturday when 8-12 foot waves hit some beaches in South County," said Kevin Wallis, a forecaster for Surfline.com. "The waves will hit hard at places like Blacks Beach, and the surf also will be sizable in North County, reaching 5-8 feet on Friday afternoon and early Saturday. There also will be lots of rip currents. This is not a swell to mess with."

    The waves come from a storm that will bring torrential rain to Oregon and extreme Northern California, and possibly intermittent showers to San Diego County from late Wednesday night to Saturday.

    http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/27/biggest-swell-fall-pound-local-beaches/?sciquest
    NO AMNESTY

    Don't reward the criminal actions of millions of illegal aliens by giving them citizenship.


    Sign in and post comments here.

    Please support our fight against illegal immigration by joining ALIPAC's email alerts here https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

  3. #3
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    PARADISE (San Diego)
    Posts
    99,040
    San Diego having one of warmest years ever


    The temperature rose into the upper 60s last Saturday morning, creating ideal conditions for a yoga class that was held on the bluffs toward the north end of Pacific Beach. Gary Robbins

    Written b Gary Robbins
    5:59 p.m., Nov. 28, 2012
    Updated 7:06 p.m.

    This year could turn out to be one of warmest in the history of San Diego largely due to the hot weather that spread to southwestern California in late summer from the Great Plains, says the National Weather Service.

    Forecaster Alex Tardy says the average temperature during the first 329 days of the year -- the period from January 1 to November 25 -- was 64.9 degrees. That's the 20th warmest reading for that period dating back to 1871 in San Diego. The figure represents an average of the period's high and low temperatures.

    (Waves up to 12 feet high to slam local beaches)

    The city might experience sharp variations in temperature by the end of the year, changing its current ranking. For the next few days, temperatures are expected to be a bit cooler than normal as the tail of a North Pacific storm moves through the region. But temperatures aren't expected to be sharply down.

    Tardy said that a dome of high pressure settled over the Great Plains in mid-summer and spread to the west and the east, shattering scores of temperature records. Some of that warm air reached San Diego, where temperatures were two degrees above normal in August and four degrees above normal in September.

    "Two or more degrees is quite noticeable to most people over a month," Tardy said by email.

    He added that sea surface temperatures were 2-3 degrees above normal during much of the summer, which helped raise the average temperature on land.

    http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/28/san12-diego-having-one-warmest-years-ever/?sciquest
    NO AMNESTY

    Don't reward the criminal actions of millions of illegal aliens by giving them citizenship.


    Sign in and post comments here.

    Please support our fight against illegal immigration by joining ALIPAC's email alerts here https://eepurl.com/cktGTn

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •